Cabinet Office

Vetting: Proof of Identity

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Neville-Rolfe on 2 March (HL5901), and the Written Statement byBaroness Neville-Rolfe on 23 May (HLWS788), whether the sharing of identity information in bulk would be lawful under the text of the statutory instrument as consulted on; and whether, and if so where, the published consultation response confirms whether changes have been made to prohibit bulk sharing following the consultation.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The statutory instrument, as consulted on, is an enabling instrument that will make it easier for people to prove who they are when accessing government services online. The draft regulations only allow specified public bodies to share data when an individual chooses to prove their identity online in order to access public services digitally. As a specified objective under section 35 of the Digital Economy Act 2017 (the Act), the data sharing power would sit within the tightly constrained data sharing framework of the Act. Data sharing must be carried out with regard to the Act’s Code of Practice (the Code), which has been approved by Parliament. Any public body sharing information under Chapters 1, 3 and 4 of Part 5 of the Digital Economy Act 2017 is required to have regard to this Code when doing so. Under the Code's data sharing principles, public bodies sharing information under the powers are required to minimise the amount of data shared, and ensure this is the minimum required for the purpose of achieving the specified objective, using methods which avoid unnecessarily sharing or copying of large amounts of personal information. Failure to have regard to the Code can result in a public authority or organisation losing the ability to disclose, receive and use information under the powers. Due to the carefully defined data sharing power set out in the statutory instrument, and the rigorous data protection safeguards in place under the Act and Code, no changes have been made to the draft statutory instrument regarding “bulk sharing”.

Government Departments: Official Visits

Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government what advice or instructions they issue to ministers and their staff about their choice of transport when on official visits; and to what extent they are required to take into account (1) cost to the public purse, and (2) the desirability of minimising emissions, as well as time efficiency.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Section 10 of the Ministerial Code sets out the approach to Ministerial travel. For Civil Servants, guidance will be issued by individual departments. To illustrate this, I have asked for a copy of the Cabinet Office's principles on departmental travel to be deposited in the House Libraries.

Department for Business and Trade

Bricks: Imports

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government how many bricks the UK imports from South Asia and other countries in the Global South; and what steps they are taking to ensure that their production does not involve child labour, conditions which could lead to poor health or the exploitation of workers.

Lord Johnson of Lainston: In 2022 the UK imported £11.4 million (around 38 thousand tonnes) of bricks from the Global South, of which £4.6 million (around 10 thousand tonnes) were from South Asia.The UK is a leading country in confronting the scourge of modern slavery and committed to working with partners to achieve sustainability in our supply chains. The Modern Slavery Act requires businesses with a turnover of £36m or more to publish modern slavery statements annually to report on the steps taken to prevent modern slavery.The UK has ratified nine ILO Fundamental Conventions, including on the abolition of child labour and forced labour.

Trade Agreements: India

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what analysis they have made of any alleged atrocities in India as part of the process of agreeing a free trade agreement with India,for the purposes of givingeffect to section 3 of the Trade Act 2021.

Lord Offord of Garvel: The Government has not made an analysis per the Lord's question, as no responsible House of Commons or House of Lords committee has published a report concerning India pursuant to section 3 of the Trade Act 2021.The UK has engaged with India on a range of human rights matters, working with Union and State Governments, and with Non-Governmental Organisations, to build capacity and share expertise to promote human rights for all. This is undertaken on an ongoing basis and separately to the negotiation of a Free Trade Agreement.

Home Office

Human Trafficking: Boats

Lord Balfe: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps, if any, they have taken (1) to identify the source of boats used for people smuggling to the UK, and (2) to stop the supply of boats used for such smuggling from being obtained by the smugglers.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The Home Office works closely with international partners and with manufacturers to tackle the supply of the small boats used in these dangerous, illegal and unnecessary crossings.However, it would not be in the interests of operational security to detail the specific activities being undertaken.

Human Trafficking: Boats

Lord Balfe: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Murray of Blidworth on 30 May (HL7826), whether there is any way in which boats "disposed of by Border Force's approved contractors" could be reused by people smugglers.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: All vessels that have been subject to seizure are held by Border Force until completion of any criminal investigation activities.The majority of boats are not fit for re-sale and unseaworthy, as they arrive in very poor condition and may be damaged during the recovery process.The boats are disposed of by Border Force’s approved contractors and, where appropriate, any suitable materials are recycled. There are no plans to revisit these arrangements.

Immigration Controls: ICT

Lord Birt: To ask His Majesty's Government what was the root cause of the nationwide failure of passport e-gates on 26 and 27 May.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: It has never been government practice, for reasons of law enforcement, to comment on operational issues relating to border security and immigration controls. This includes offering commentary on the performance of border systems and of ePassport Gates data specifically.Border Force’s number one priority is to maintain a secure border, and we will not compromise on this, but we are committed to ensuring passengers have the smoothest possible journey they can. As we continue to deliver change to our border systems we are committed to ensuring that resilience is at the heart of everything that we do

Police: Hate Crime

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the case of Miller v College of Policing, what steps they are taking to ensure that police forces in England and Wales pay due regard to freedom of speech in the discharge of their responsibilities in respect of allegations of criminal activity arising from social media communication.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: To address the Miller v College of Policing judgment and wider concerns relating to the recording of non-crime hate incidents, the Government has introduced a statutory code of practice on this recording for police officers in England and Wales, as provided for in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. The code, which entered into effect on 3 June following Parliamentary approval, introduces a new threshold test that means that personal data may only be included in a non-crime hate incident record if the event is clearly motivated by intentional hostility and there is a risk of escalation causing significant harm or a criminal offence. The code will ensure non-crime hate incidents are only recorded when it is absolutely necessary and proportionate to do so, and not simply because someone is offended. This Government is confident that the code strikes the right balance between better protecting people’s fundamental right to freedom of expression, whilst enabling the police to continue to protect vulnerable people and communities. Reported hate crimes will continue to be recorded in line with the College of Policing’s operational guidance on hate crime.

Leader of the House of Lords

Department of Health and Social Care: Written Questions

Lord Jopling: To ask the Leader of the House what explanations he has had from the Department for Health and Social Care concerning their failure to answer 18 questions for written answer, dating back to 19 April, within the recommended time.

Lord True: As Leader of the House I see it as essential that Noble Lords receive accurate and timely responses to all written questions tabled to His Majesty's Government. For that reason, I have spoken to all Front Bench Ministers regarding the importance of adhering to the 10 working day window for response to questions for written answer. I have also written to the Permanent Secretary of DHSC to reiterate the importance of his department responding to peers within this timeframe, as well as urging them to clear the backlog as soon as possible.My office has contacted DHSC regarding their repeated failure to meet the 10 day target for response. After the significant disruption caused to the delivery of parliamentary support to the House of Lords by the COVID-19 pandemic, the DHSC parliamentary team has implemented a Written Parliamentary Question Recovery Plan to deal with the backlog of written questions. This recovery plan has led to significant improvements in their performance. However, your question clearly highlights that there is more work to do to ensure that all questions are answered within the 10 day target. Parliament rightly expects that more work will be done on this matter.

Department of Health and Social Care

NHS: Safety

Baroness Cumberlege: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, and over what timescale, to further implement Scan4Safety and increase the percentage of NHS Trusts scanning products at the point of care.

Baroness Cumberlege: To ask His Majesty's Government what safeguards they have in place to ensure high quality and precise data are entered into the medical devices outcomes register.

Lord Markham: The Medical Device Outcome Registry (MDOR) will significantly improve the quality of data available to improve patient safety and outcomes in high-risk medical device procedures.NHS England will monitor data quality in the MDOR via regular audits and feedback reports so they can make improvements and provide additional support where required. They are also expanding upon the Data Quality provider certification and award scheme currently active in the National Joint Registry. This is with a view to covering all registry procedures with a particular emphasis on collecting data on medical devices and consultants, Patient Reported Outcome Measures and patient feedback indicators. NHS England have mandated registry submission and will be monitoring compliance and ascertainment against Secondary Uses Service procedure data, to resolve any data completeness or quality issues.MDOR has native barcode scanning, including Unique Device Identifier (UDI) barcodes, so will result in the whole of England having an available UDI scanning solution without having to implement a separate system. The registry will accept bulk uploads from existing providers’ solutions, including Scan4Safety, that meet the data quality and completeness requirements. The Outcomes and Registries programme will support provider adoption of digital solutions that enable medical device traceability on the electronic patient record. The aim is to have full data submission by NHS England and independent sector providers by the end of the year. NHS England will be working with various Scan4Safety programme initiatives across England and the four nations, focussing upon medical device traceability and device-based procedures to enable scanning of device data into the patient record.

Lyme Disease

Lord Leong: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, (1) of the study and treatment of Lyme disease, and (2) of the delay of anytests, treatment, and misdiagnoses of Lyme disease in the UK.

Lord Markham: The Department commissioned four reviews on Lyme disease published by the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information group in December 2017. This was followed by definitive advice on treatment, testing and diagnosis of Lyme disease developed by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in April 2018. Most cases are diagnosed on clinical signs by general practitioners, but laboratory testing is widely available through the National Health Service for more complicated cases. NHS testing follows the international best practice on Lyme disease tests and accords with European and US best practice. Some private clinics and laboratories offer their own tests which are not recognised by national health authorities, and for which little literature exists to support their veracity.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Space Technology

Lord Cromwell: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the growth of the UK space industry across the UK.

Viscount Camrose: The National Space Strategy sets out an ambitious vision for the future of the UK as a space nation, and to make the UK one of the most attractive countries for space businesses of all sizes to grow and thrive. The strategy describes high level structures and frameworks to guide its implementation, and Government has now committed to developing a joint civil-defence Space Sector Plan in 2023 building on the National Space Strategy, the Defence Space Strategy, and the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy. The publication will communicate where and how Government will work to strengthen and mature its relationship with the space sector across the UK, and will prioritise interventions across government to help facilitate the sector’s growth and resilience. The publication will also increase future planning confidence in the sector by providing a clear demand signal for Government’s strategic capability needs from space, and intentions for pursuing them.

Artificial Intelligence: Regulation

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to promote the UK AI Regulatory Model to other governments.

Viscount Camrose: We have been actively promoting the UK AI Regulatory Model - as set out in the AI Regulation White Paper published in March 2023 - to other governments through both bilateral engagements and multilateral fora. For example, this has included presenting the white paper at the OECD’s Working Party on AI Governance meeting in Paris. In the same month, the Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy attended the G7 Digital Ministerial meeting in Japan, where the UK agreed to the G7 Digital Ministerial Declaration. Crucially, the Declaration endorses an Action Plan for promoting global interoperability between tools for trustworthy AI - a key component of the AI Regulation White Paper. Building on these efforts, on 7th June 2023, the Prime Minister announced that the UK will host the first major Global Summit on AI Safety this autumn. The Summit will consider the risks of AI, including frontier systems, and discuss how they can be mitigated through internationally coordinated action. It will also provide a platform for countries to work together on further developing a shared approach to mitigate these risks.As examples of bilateral activity, on 8th June 2023, the UK government agreed to the Atlantic Declaration with the United States. In lockstep with the UK’s AI Regulatory Model, both the UK and U.S. have agreed to accelerate cooperation on AI with a focus on ensuring its safe and responsible development. Similarly, on 18th May 2023, the Government agreed to the Hiroshima Accord with Japan, which pledges to focus future UK-Japan AI discussions on promoting human-centric and trustworthy AI and interoperability between AI governance frameworks.Active international engagement on AI is a key priority for the Government. We are working closely with many international partners to both learn from, and influence, regulatory and non-regulatory developments. In line with the UK’s International Tech Strategy, we will continue to shape global AI activities in line with UK values and priorities, protecting against efforts to adopt and apply AI technologies in the service of authoritarianism and repression.

Space Technology

Lord Cromwell: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made an assessment of the value of thespace sustainability sector to the UK economy.

Lord Cromwell: To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in regards to theActive Debris Removal programme, in line with their National Space Strategy; and what assessment they have made, if any, of thebenefits it will bring to the UK.

Viscount Camrose: Space sustainability activity aims to maintain the space environment, which benefits the UK through continued freedom of access to space services and the environmental and economic benefits space applications provide. The Government is taking forward the actions set out in the Plan for Space Sustainability launched last year. The Government has developed a national satellite monitoring service, is working with industry and academia on an industry-led Space Sustainability Standards initiative, and hosted ministerial roundtables to further our sustainability aims. The Government has also secured funding of both national and ESA Active Debris Removal programmes, which will demonstrate our world leading capabilities, positioning the UK at the forefront of the emerging life extension and debris removal markets.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Housing: Energy

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to retrofit (1) homes, and (2) commercial buildings, to improve energy efficiency.

Lord Callanan: The Government is investing £6.6 billion over this Parliament on clean heat and improving energy efficiency in buildings, through schemes including the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund and Home Upgrade Grant. Additionally, this summer we will launch the £1bn Great British Insulation Scheme. The Industrial Energy Transformation Fund offers a total of £500m of grant funding to help businesses to reduce energy bills and emissions. A further phase of the scheme was announced in March. Government has committed a further £6bn of funding for energy efficiency and low carbon heating from 2025 to 2028.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Politics and Government

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask His Majesty's Government what measuresare in place to ensure that the devolved administrations andHis Majesty's Government learn from each other and, where appropriate, co-ordinate policy decisions.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The UK Government and the devolved administrations jointly agreed improved ways of working in January 2022. The new intergovernmental system ensures that ministers and officials are working together, across all areas, maintaining open channels of communication, discussing best practice and sharing learning from across the governments. Tackling our challenges is a shared endeavour and already this year there have been over 60 ministerial meetings between the Government and DAs on a wide range of issuesThis collaboration has been vital in ensuring UK-wide join up, from tackling cost of living pressures to delivering the Homes for Ukraine which has helped over 117,000 people.As set out in the Levelling Up White Paper, the UK Government is determined to do more to enable the sharing of evidence between the government and devolved administrations. The Concordat on Statistics provides a framework for statistical co-operation between the government and devolved administrations, and the UK Statistics Authority continues to lead on a suite of work to improve the UK-wide coherency of evidence in public policy-making.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Coroners

Baroness Browning: To ask His Majesty's Government how many Prevention of Death reportsthe Department for Work and Pensions has received from coroners in each year from 2019 to 2022 inclusive.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: I am happy to provide a breakdown by year as follows:One report in 2019 (relating to a death in January of that year).No reports in 2020.Three reports in 2021, relating to deaths from May 2017, October 2019 and April 2020.No reports in 2022.For the purposes of completeness, I can add that the department has so far received no reports in 2023.

Poverty: Children

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of childrenwho would no longer be in poverty if the benefit cap were (1) abolished, and (2) returned to its original levels.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: No assessment has been made. The Government firmly believes where possible it is in the best interests of children to be in working households. We have a range of employment support and advice available from our Work Coaches in Jobcentres to help people to be better off and become less reliant on benefits. DWP is committed to supporting families and helping parents to progress. This requires a system that provides strong work incentives and key support for those who need it, but crucially also ensures a sense of fairness to the taxpayer. Meanwhile, we can highlight that both rates and numbers of children in absolute poverty (60% of 2010/11 median income, both before and after housing costs) were lower in 2021/22 than in 2009/10. In 2021/22 there were 400,000 fewer children in absolute low income after housing costs than in 2009/10.

Social Security Benefits: Ethnic Groups

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of anydisproportionate impact of the benefit cap on households headed by someone from an ethnic minority.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Secretary of State has complied with his duties under the Equality Act 2010 and had due regard to the equality impacts when completing the benefit cap review in November 2022.

Pensions: Women

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent finding that women's private pensions in Great Britain areworth 35 per cent less than men's by the time they reach age 55; and what steps they intend to take to address that gap.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: On 5 June 2023, DWP published an official measure of the gender pensions gap, which is currently 35% between men and women shortly before they retire. The publication of an official annual measure will help us track the collective efforts of government, industry and employers to close the Gender Pensions Gap. Automatic Enrolment has brought millions of women into pension saving for the very first time. Median female pension wealth around Normal Minimum Pension Age has increased by 90% in real terms, from 2006/2008 to 2018/2020. The government remains committed to implementing the 2017 Automatic Enrolment Review measures, which will disproportionately benefit lower earners, including people working in multiple low-paid part time jobs who are predominantly women. That is why we are supporting Jonathan Gullis' Private Members’ Bill, which completed Commons stages on Friday 24 March. Much of the gender pensions gap is due to the gender pay gap. Over the last decade the gender pay gap has fallen from 19.6% to 14.9% and the percentage of women in employment has gone from 66.5% to 72.3%. We are introducing a series of measures which will further reduce the gender pay gap and will in turn impact the gender pensions gap. In the budget we announced the expansion of funded childcare, changes to the childcare element of Universal Credit, and changes to conditionality for lead carers of children aged 1 to 12. The Department for Business and Trade is supporting Yasmin Qureshi’s Private Members’ Bill, on flexible working, and supported Wendy Chamberlain’s Private Members’ Bill on carers leave, which became the Carers Leave Act (2023) on 24 May 2023.

Department for Education

National Curriculum Tests

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the difference between theeducational attainment of boys and girls at Key Stage 1.

Baroness Barran: The government is committed to improving outcomes for all pupils no matter their gender and raising attainment for pupils is at the heart of this government’s agenda.Overall, more girls met the expected standard than boys in reading and writing, while more boys reached the expected standard than girls in maths. This is a change from 2019 when more girls reached the expected standard than boys in all three subjects.The department has introduced a Multiplication Tables Check, ensuring every nine-year-old pupil knows their times tables. Last June, 27% achieved full marks in the test and the average score was 20 correct answers out of 25. The Phonics Screening Check was also introduced in 2012 when 58% of pupils met the expected standard. By 2022, 87% of seven-year-olds met this standard, which is a significant predictor of later reading comprehension performance.Internationally, England has performed well against international comparators. Pre COVID-19 pandemic England achieved its highest ever mathematics score in the most recent 2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study international test for year 5 pupils. More recently, England has climbed to fourth place internationally for primary reading proficiency in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study results, which are regarded as the international benchmark for primary reading capability.The Schools White Paper set out a long-term vision for a school system that helps every child to fulfil their potential by ensuring that they receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time. The department will drive attainment at key stage 1 by delivering a broad offer of reforms, as set out in the Schools White Paper, whilst also ensuring a focus on interventions that support reading, writing and maths, including through the support provided by English and Maths Hubs.

National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure: Closures

Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reasons for the closure of the National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure; what steps they plan to take to support (1) the redeployment of the College’s staff, and (2) the College’s students to complete their courses; and how the specialist premises and equipment will be used after its closure.

Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government, following theclosure of the National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure, how they plan to ensure that sufficient engineers and other specialists required to maintain the UK’s railways and transport infrastructure will be trained in the future; and what financial support they are offering to support such training.

Baroness Barran: The department is working with the National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure (NCATI) to safeguard the interests of learners and ensure they have the opportunity to complete or continue their studies. Dependent on their location, 24 learners on study programmes have transferred to either DN Colleges Group or to South & City College Birmingham, 25 higher education learners will complete their programme in partnership with Sheffield Hallam University, and 38 apprentices will complete their programme with NCATI before 31 July 2023. With the support of their employers, a further 81 apprentices with an end date beyond 31 July 2023 have been transferred to other good quality providers.The department is also working with the NCATI and the University of Birmingham to secure a sustainable educational use for the buildings that protects the public investment made.In February 2022, the Department for Transport set up the industry-led skills and employment Taskforce, TEST. This is made up of leading transport industry figures who are best placed to reflect the sector’s concerns on skills and the transport labour market.TEST’s overarching aims are to raise the profile of transport careers, promote access to training and employment opportunities, identify what specific future skills the transport sector needs, and identify innovative ways of encouraging people from underrepresented communities to work and stay in the industry.The government is investing £3.8 billion more in further education and skills over the Parliament to ensure people can access high-quality training and education that addresses skills gaps and boosts productivity. That includes approximately £300 million to establish 21 Institutes of Technology (IoTs) across the country. IoTs will provide access to industry standard facilities and focus on the technical training needs of employers, including the rail industry, and learners in their local areas.

Students: Fees and Charges

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to review the cost of tuition fees.

Baroness Barran: The student finance and funding system must provide value for money for all of society at a time of rising costs. It is important that a sustainable student finance system is in place, that is both fair to students and fair to taxpayers. The department is freezing maximum tuition fees for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. By 2024/25, maximum fees will have been frozen for seven years.Maximum tuition fees, and the subsidised loans available from the government to pay them, remain at £9,250 for the current 2022/23 academic year in respect of standard full-time courses.We believe a continued fee freeze achieves the best balance between ensuring that the system remains financially sustainable, offering good value for the taxpayer, and reducing debt levels for students in real terms.Higher Education providers are autonomous and responsible for setting their own fees under this level. In deciding to keep charging full fees, providers will want to ensure that they can continue to deliver courses which are fit for purpose and that help students progress their qualifications.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

China: Foreign Relations

Lord Leong: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Sino-British relations following theanniversary ofthe Tiananmen Square massacre on 4 June, and the recent suppression of peaceful demonstrations in Hong Kong.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: As we note in our latest Six-Monthly Report, freedom of speech and assembly continue to be curtailed in Hong Kong as was witnessed on 4 June. The right to peaceful protest and freedom of assembly were both promised to Hong Kongers under the Sino-British Joint Declaration and enshrined in the Basic Law. Marking the anniversary of the massacre, the Foreign Secretary said "we will never forget those who stood up for democracy and will always stand by those who defend human rights in China". The Foreign Secretary made plain our views on Hong Kong with Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng on 5 May and at the UN Human Rights Council on 27 February.

India: Violence

The Lord Bishop of Guildford: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made, if any, to the government of India about reported violence in Manipur State; and in particular, whether they have urged that government (1) to protect vulnerable communities in the state, and (2) to constrain Hindu nationalist narratives in the country which exacerbate communal tensions.

The Lord Bishop of Guildford: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken, if any, to assist in the government of India in facilitating the return of members of tribal communities who have been displaced from their homes by violence in India’s Manipur State.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Our network in India, including our missions in Delhi and Kolkata, continues to monitor the unrest in Manipur. During my most recent visit to India (27-31 May) I (Minister for South Asia) raised this issue with the Government of India. We emphasise the need for disputes to be resolved through dialogue, while recognising this is a matter for India. We remain committed to defending Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. We have a broad and deep partnership with the Government of India, and discuss all elements of our relationship, including raising issues where we have them.

Bangladesh: Forced Marriage

Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding in the UNICEF reports (1) Fighting the Odds,Catalyzing Change: A Strategic Approach to Ending the Global Problem of Child Marriage, published in September 2022,and (2) Ending Child Marriage: A profile of progress in Bangladesh, published in October 2020,that 51 per cent of girls in Bangladesh marry before the age of 18; and what plans they have to provide funding to ensure that underage girls in that country are protected and able to complete their education.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: UK aid in Bangladesh tackles the root causes and consequences of child marriage. Through our recently concluded Excluded People's Rights in Bangladesh programme, we supported a range of civil society organisations that worked to raise awareness of child marriage to students, parents and communities. As a result of our support, 15,000 child marriages were stopped. The programme also helped enrol over 900 girls back to school. Going forward, through the UN Global Programme to End Child Marriage, the UK is also supporting girls at risk of child marriage in Bangladesh. We have helped 48,500 girls to continue their education and will invest up to £54.5 million over eight years (2022-2029) to improve girls' retention in education.

Taiwan: Elizabeth Truss

Lord Rogan: To ask His Majesty's Government what official support, if any, was provided to former Prime Minister Liz Truss in relation to her recent visit to Taiwan.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: His Majesty's Government does not get involved in the independent travel decisions of parliamentarians who are not a member of the government. As is standard practice, the FCDO provided a short background note setting out HMG's position on Taiwan and facilitated logistical contact between the former Prime Minister's accompanying protection team and the Taiwanese authorities. No official support was provided on the visit programme.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Elm Zig-Zag Sawfly

The Lord Bishop of Exeter: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the elm zigzag sawfly in the UK; and whatmitigating measures can be taken to slow its spread.

Lord Benyon: We have a dedicated programme of risk and horizon scanning, which continuously and proactively assesses emerging threats to plant health and the potential impact on the UK. A comprehensive pest risk analysis for Elm zig-zag sawfly (Aproceros leucopoda) was conducted in 2016, before the pest was first reported in the UK. This is available to view on the published UK Plant Health Risk Register and is attached to this answer, it provides the basis for the inclusion of the pest on that national prioritisation tool. The assessment concluded that there were no practical options to ensure continued exclusion or eradication from the UK due to its rapid expansion across Europe and the pest being a hitchhiker, which can be introduced on transport such as cars and trains. On that basis, statutory eradication action against findings in the wider environment when the pest was confirmed in the UK in 2017 were not technically justified. The Forestry Commission conducts ongoing surveillance to monitor the distribution of Elm zig-zag sawfly and have published guidance for landowners to inform its management. Pest spread has also been recorded through citizen science, by the Observatree volunteer network.

Larger Eight-Toothed European Spruce Bark Beetles

The Lord Bishop of Exeter: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have madeof the damage caused by the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle to the UK's forests.

Lord Benyon: We have a dedicated programme of risk and horizon scanning, which continuously and proactively assesses emerging threats to plant health and the potential impact on the UK. The eight-toothed spruce bark beetle, Ips typographus, is a serious pest on spruce in Europe and could cause significant damage to Britain’s forestry and timber industries. The beetle is primarily a secondary pest, preferring stressed or weakened trees. However, under the right environmental conditions, beetle numbers can increase enough to result in attacks on healthy trees. Ips typographus is a priority, regulated pest with a surveillance programme and contingency plan in place. The pest risk analysis for Ips typographus that provided the basis for the current entry of the pest on the UK Plant Health Risk Register, is being updated and will be issued for consultation shortly. In 2018 a breeding population of Ips typographus was first confirmed in Kent, as part of routine surveillance by the Forestry Commission. Further findings have been identified in the South-East of England in 2021-23. Evidence demonstrates that outbreaks have resulted from natural dispersal (blow over) of the pest from the continent. There is no evidence of within-UK spread, or of impacts on healthy spruce in the UK. All outbreak sites are subject to robust eradication action, and a demarcated area is in place restricting the movement and felling of susceptible material. Monitoring of the 2018 outbreak indicates that eradication action on that site has been successful. We continue to fund research into the impact and spread of Ips typographus. Over the longer term, the Forestry Commission is encouraging landowners to remove susceptible spruce from the South-East and replant with other species. Financial support is available for this through the Tree Health Pilot.

European Mountain Ash Ringspot-associated Virus

The Lord Bishop of Exeter: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofthe spread of European mountain ash ringspot-associated virus in the UK; and whatmitigating measures can be taken to slow its spread.

Lord Benyon: We have a dedicated programme of risk and horizon scanning, which continuously and proactively assesses emerging threats to plant health and the potential impact on the UK. A comprehensive Pest Risk Analysis for European mountain ash ring-spot-associated virus (EMARAV) was conducted in 2013. This is available to view on the published UK Plant Health Risk Register (https://planthealthportal.defra.gov.uk/) and is attached to this answer. It provides the basis for the inclusion of the pest on that national prioritisation tool. EMARAV is a virus of the genus Sorbus, commonly known as Rowan or European mountain ash. Evidence demonstrates the virus has a widespread presence in Scotland and previous findings in other parts of the UK. The virus has a limited impact and is considered to pose a low risk to the UK. Statutory action is not taken against this pathogen.Assessment of EMARAV (pdf, 222.6KB)

Acute Oak Decline

The Lord Bishop of Exeter: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of acute oak decline in the UK; and what steps they are taking to minimise its impact.

Lord Benyon: We have a dedicated programme of risk and horizon scanning, which continuously and proactively assesses emerging threats to plant health and the potential impact on the UK. Acute oak decline is a complex disease of native species of oak (Quercus robur and Quercus petraea) that mostly affects mature trees aged over 50 years. It has been established in the UK for many years and does not meet the criteria for a regulated pest. The Pest Risk Analysis for Acute oak decline is attached to this answer and is available to view on the UK Plant Health Risk Register, together with the risk ratings and current mitigations for this disease. The disease has been prioritised for research, survey to monitor its distribution, and management by industry. Defra has invested over £1 million in research to understand the causes, distribution and scale of acute oak decline in the UK. Forest Research has used this research to inform published distribution maps and management guidance for landowners. Research on acute oak decline is also supported by Action Oak, a pioneering new partnership launched in 2018, which is part of the Government’s response to concerns about the long-term future of our oak trees.Rapid PRA for Acute Oak Decline (pdf, 1284.2KB)

Beetles: Disease Control

The Lord Bishop of Exeter: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking toprevent Asian and citrus longhorn beetles arriving in the UK.

Lord Benyon: We have a dedicated programme of risk and horizon scanning, which continuously and proactively assesses emerging threats to plant health and the potential impact on the UK. Asian longhorn beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) and citrus longhorn beetle (Anoplophora chinensis) are damaging pests of broadleaved trees including sycamore, maples, willow, birch and elm and are designated as priority, quarantine pests. They are not currently present in the UK. We have contingency plans in place and will take statutory action in the event of a finding. Risk ratings and current mitigations for both pests are available to view on the UK Plant Health Risk Register. A common pathway for the spread of Asian longhorn beetle is wood packaging material such as pallets, and there are international standards in place for treating such material (International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15) to mitigate this risk. A common international pathway for the spread of citrus longhorn beetle is the movement of young trees for planting, particularly maples. The UK has general prohibitions in place on imports of all high-risk trees from outside of the EU, and further controls on other known hosts from countries where the pest is known to occur. All imports of trees must be pre-notified to government and are subject to an official inspection and surveillance programme.

Beetles: Disease Control

The Lord Bishop of Exeter: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of thethreat posed by bronze birch beetles to the UK's forests.

Lord Benyon: We have a dedicated programme of risk and horizon scanning, which continuously and proactively assesses new and emerging threats to plant health and their potential impact on the UK. Bronze birch borer (Agrilus anxius) is a priority, regulated pest with a surveillance programme and contingency plan in place. A pest risk analysis for this pest was carried out in 2011 for the whole of the Europe and Mediterranean Plant Protection region and is attached to this answer, with UK experts in pest risk analysis and forestry being part of the working group. This is available to view on the EPPO website (https://gd.eppo.int/) and provided the basis for the inclusion of the pest on the UK Plant Health Risk Register. Bronze birch borer is a specialist wood-boring beetle pest of birch trees. It is native to North America and absent from the UK. Specific import measures on birch material from third countries, including North America, are in place to mitigate against its entry into the UK and such materials are subject to pre-landing notification and inspection by the UK plant health authorities. Statutory action would be taken against any findings of this pest in the UK.

Housing: Construction

Earl Cathcart: To ask His Majesty's Government why Natural England have continued to block development for new homes since March 2022 in over 70 local planning authority areas.

Lord Benyon: Natural England’s role is to conserve and enhance the natural environment. This includes providing statutory advice on the impacts of plans and projects on protected sites based on the best available evidence. Natural England cannot block development but competent authorities, such as Local Planning Authorities (LPAs), must have regard to Natural England’s advice and act in accordance with applicable legislation and case law. Nutrient pollution is an urgent problem affecting a wide range of habitats and species. Due to the excess levels of nutrients affecting many protected freshwater habitats and estuaries, Natural England has been required to advise 74 LPAs in England that new development cannot result in additional nutrient pollution. One way this can be done is through nutrient neutrality, by which developers secure mitigation for any additional nutrient pollution they are responsible for within the catchment. The Government is committed to delivering housing in affected areas and are supporting local authorities and developers to identify suitable mitigation. There are several ways in which LPAs can satisfy themselves that planning permission can be granted. The first credits from Natural England’s Nutrient Mitigation Scheme have now been sold in the Tees & Cleveland catchments. More credits will be available in the Tees this year and work is underway to identify suitable projects in other catchments. Several catchments also have successful mitigation schemes operated by local authorities or private organisations. A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Call for Evidence and Expressions of Interest for funding for local nutrient mitigation schemes closed recently, and funding decisions will be made as soon as possible.

Treasury

Supermarkets: Prices

Lord Naseby: To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to recent meetings between Treasury ministers, food suppliers and retailers and the Competition and Markets Authority, what assessment they have made of the existing benefits to consumers of price competition between major supermarkets.

Baroness Penn: The Chief Secretary to the Treasury spoke to supermarket representatives on 11 May 2023, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer met with food manufacturers on 23 May 2023 about the cost of food in the UK. The Competition and Markets Authority announced on 15 May 2023 that it would conduct further work in the grocery sector to understand whether any failure in competition is contributing to grocery prices being higher than they would be in a well-functioning market. Once published, the Government will consider the Competition and Markets Authority’s findings.

Logistics: Electric Vehicles

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government, what assessment they have made of the impact on electric vehicle usage by logistics companies of extending the 100 per cent tax-deductible annual investment allowance for capital spending to leased or hired vehicles.

Baroness Penn: The Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) allows businesses to deduct the full value of a qualifying item of plant and machinery from profits before tax, up to the AIA limit of £1 million. Capital expenditure by lessors on non-car electric vehicles (such as vans and HGVs) can qualify for the AIA where the asset is leased or hired out, but the AIA excludes expenditure on cars for which other allowances may be available.

Logistics: Electric Vehicles

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on electric vehicle usage by logistics companies of extending the 100 per cent tax-deductible annual investment allowance for capital spending to cover costs associated with increasing electricity supply to logistic sites.

Baroness Penn: Capital expenditure on plant or machinery for increasing the level of electricity available to logistics sites can already qualify for capital allowances including the Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) where the normal conditions for such allowances are met. For example, to be eligible for relief under the plant and machinery capital allowances regime, assets must generally be owned, or treated as owned, by the business. As capital allowances are fact specific, any assessment of the eligibility of expenditure for a particular allowance will depend entirely on the facts of the particular case.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Choirs: Finance

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government how much funding they provided for community choirs ineach of the past three years.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: His Majesty’s Government recognises the huge contribution cultural groups and organisations make, not only to the economy and international reputation of the United Kingdom, but also to the wellbeing and enrichment of its people. Local choirs are an important part of many people’s lives across the UK, providing a creative outlet and strong sense of community, as well as an accessible, enjoyable cultural experience enjoyed by people of all ages.The Government supports the arts financially, including choirs and singing, through its arm’s-length body Arts Council England.The Arts Council does not have a specific category for identifying investment in ‘community choirs’. We are therefore unable to provide precise funding figures for this specific activity. The Arts Council does, however, hold details of funding to organisations which provide a focus on choral/opera music and community engagement. Organisations which fall into this category have received the following National Lottery Project funding over the last three years:2020/21 £348,9032021/22 £238,0802022/23 £432,840The Arts Council’s investment in music remains high: of the 985 organisations included in the 2023–26 National Portfolio, 139 are classed as ‘music' and will receive around £65 million per year.

Department for Transport

Railways: WiFi

Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 7 June (HL8052), what date they have set for train operators to provide a commercial case for retaining Wi-Fi services on their different service groups; and what assessment they have made of Evo-rail's provision of South Western Railway's installation of superfast 5G on the South West Main Line.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Department wrote to its operators on asking for information on the commercial case for passenger Wi-Fi on trains. We expect a response shortly. On behalf of South-Western Railway, Evo Rail’s installation of superfast 5G is in progress.

High Speed 2 Line: Disclosure of Information

Lord Berkeley: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 18 May (HL7677), why they have not made reports on HS2 to Parliament every six months; why predictable external factors such as recess and local elections have affected the timing of these reports; and when they expect to publish the next such report.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: As I mentioned in my previous response, external factors affected our original plans for an earlier publication of the HS2 Parliamentary Report, which was further delayed as it has taken time to work through the implications of the Spring Budget. We remain committed to transparency and providing timely and accurate updates on HS2, with the next report due for publication imminently.

Railways: Electrification

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the percentage of the rail network used by rail freight operators that will be electrified by 2040.

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessmentthey have made of the percentage of the rail network used by rail freight operators that will need to be electrified by 2040 to enable the removal of diesel-only trains from the network.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: In the Transport Decarbonisation Plan we committed to delivering a net zero rail network by 2050, with sustained carbon reductions along the way, and stated our ambition to remove all diesel-only trains (passenger and freight) from the network by 2040.In the year 2022/23, 11% of rail freight in the UK was hauled by an electric powered locomotive with the remainder hauled by diesel.We are working with the Great British Railways Transition Team to bring forward costed options for decarbonising the rail network, including for the remainder of freight hauled by diesel, for Government to carefully consider in terms of overall deliverability and affordability.

Large Goods Vehicles: Electric Vehicles

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the impact of current training and vehicle inspection regimes on the introduction of large electric vans.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government is aware of the specific needs of large vans when transitioning to zero emissions and is seeking to give further support to the market. The Department for Transport recently consulted on further changes to driving licence and MOT rules to ensure that driver training and vehicle inspection regimes are suitable for the transition to zero emission vehicles. The responses will be published soon. The Department will continue to work with the DVSA to ensure that existing regimes support the transition to ZEVs.

Large Goods Vehicles: Charging Points

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number chargepoints that will be required in future to support the introduction of large commercial vehicles including electric trucks and the UK’s 2050 net zero target.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: There are various estimates about the numbers of chargepoints required for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs). As outlined in Future of Freight: a long-term plan, published in June 2022, the Department is developing a zero emission HGV infrastructure strategy for publication in early 2024. This will set strategic direction and outline the respective expected roles and responsibilities of government and industry in the delivery of the refueling and recharging infrastructure required to meet the end of sale dates for new non-zero emission HGVs.

Bicycles and Electric Scooters: Accidents

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have toincrease the penalties for (1) serious, and (2) fatal, injuries caused by (a) cyclists, (b) e-cyclists, and (c) drivers of e-scooters.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: We are considering bringing forward legislation to introduce new offences concerning dangerous cycling, to tackle those rare instances where victims have been killed or seriously injured by irresponsible cycling behaviour. Additionally, as e-scooters are currently classed as motor vehicles, a range of motoring offences and penalties already apply for using an e-scooter illegally and/or irresponsibly.  Users can face criminal prosecution, be fined up to £300, have 6 points put on their driving licence, and the e-scooter can be impounded. The Department for Transport is working closely with the Home Office and the police to ensure that the future regulations for e-scooters enable effective enforcement against illegal use.

Large Goods Vehicles: Energy

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government whether theyintend publish an HGV and commercial vehicle energy infrastructure plan; and if so, when.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: As committed to in Future of Freight: a long-term plan, published in June 2022, the Government is developing a zero emission heavy goods vehicles (HGV) infrastructure strategy. This is expected to be published in early 2024.

Ministry of Justice

Probate: Standards

Lord Newby: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the length of time it takes to process a probate application; and how this figure compares to 2019.

Lord Newby: To ask His Majesty's Government how many offices undertaking probate work have closed in each of the past four years.

Lord Bellamy: Despite record level of receipts in 2022 the average length of time taken for a grant of probate following receipt of the documents required has been maintained at between 5 and 8 weeks, which was similar to the average length of time in 2019, which was between 6 and 8 weeks.HMCTS has increased resources to meet the higher demand following an increased number of estates requiring probate and is further increasing resourcing to further bring down overall timeliness on digital and paper applications.Average waiting times for probate grants, are routinely published on gov.uk via Family Court Statistics Quarterly and currently cover the period up to December 2022.The Probate offices closing in the past four years were:2020: Birmingham District Probate Registry (DPR), Bristol DPR, Ipswich DPR and London DPR2021: Manchester DPRAll Probate Sub Registries closed between December 2019 and January 2020.These closures were completed in conjunction with the opening of new Courts and Tribunal Service Centre in Birmingham where the majority of the increased probate workforce is now based. The launch of the online system for probate applications has made the service more accessible for applicants and removed the need to travel to city centre locations to have their oath sworn as part of the process.